


Guardian of Darkness

by Dawnwaves



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Gen, Possession
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-04-06
Packaged: 2019-10-06 00:46:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17335505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawnwaves/pseuds/Dawnwaves
Summary: Sora looked around. He was alone, on his island. He looked down to see his hands had black gloves on them, his feet had black shoes on, and he was wearing a black cloak. He reached up as he realized the material was covering his head and pulled the hood down. Why was he wearing the organization’s clothes?A feeling of dread washed over the young wielder as he stepped into the water, looking down. Dread turned to horror as he saw his reflection staring back at him with silver hair. But that wasn’t what made him want to turn away. It was his eyes.His once-blue eyes were now a blazing gold.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I will post weekly, so long as my work schedule allows time to do so. I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

 

_ Sora. _

A voice filled his head, young and nervous. His limbs felt heavy, like they were filled with lead. He could sense dark energy swirling around him, but it wasn’t harming him.

_ Sora, wake up. _

He realized he could move a little. Was he lying down? Where was he? A strange sense of danger passed over him as he struggled to open his eyes. His fingers twitched, the sound of moving metal greeting his ears.

_ Fight it, Sora. _

That voice again. It rang out in his head, filling him with strength. He grit his teeth and pushed away the waves of fatigue. Why was he so tired? What happened?

A new wave of cold settled on Sora. It sent chills up his spine.

_ What are you doing, boy? _

He froze, dread coming over him. This new voice…it was rough, condescending. It broke through his thoughts, invaded his mind.

His eyes shot open. He was lying down on a hard surface surrounded by swirling mist. Far above was a dim glow, nearly blocked out by the darkness choking the air. Despite the feeling of being watched by something powerful and ominous there was a small inkling of familiarity as Sora slowly got to his feet. He looked down to see he was on a huge circle of blue stained glass. A young boy was pictured on it, but he was sleeping. He had spiky brown hair, dark clothing and yellow-black shoes. A giant, silver skeleton key with a golden handguard was clenched in one hand while the other rested on his lap.

Sora shook his head, staring at the large rendition of himself. The stained glass seemed to glow with golden-blue light. Just behind the large picture of Sora was a scene of a sandy beach, a palm tree with star-shaped fruit and a large ocean. The sky was almost completely blocked out by four portraits of Sora’s friends. The edge of the glass seemed to be a drop off, almost as if he were standing on a pillar in the sky.

This was his heart. He had been here before. It felt colder than it had previously.

He went to scratch his head, pausing when he saw green metal plates covering his arm and hand. Was he wearing a suit of armor? And if he was, then how did he get it?

Sora reached for the helmet he had on and fidgeted with it but before he could pull it off, his arms stiffened. The metal creaked and turned to black. Shocked, he realized the armor was fighting him. It slowly shrunk against his skin and forced his arms down by his sides. He couldn’t move.

“How are you not asleep?” That voice again, raspy and rough. Sora tried to look for the source but his head was stuck in place.

Suddenly a figure materialized in front of him, one arm behind its back. It walked forward slowly, revealing an old, hunched over man. He was bald with tan, wrinkled skin, pointed ears and a silver goatee. He wore dark colored boots, an open cloak, black pants and a long, white tunic with two belts at the waist. He looked to be a regular old man until Sora saw his glaring, golden eyes. They were striking and menacing with a cold, calculated expression.

“I suppose you really aren’t just a dull, ordinary boy,” he rasped, a wicked grin sliding across his withered face. He clenched his fist in front of himself, “I have found a few curious little trinkets in your heart, and I am quite fascinated how it slipped by me all these years.”

Sora struggled against the armor trapping him. So this was who that horrible voice belonged to. “What do you mean? Who are you?”

The old man shook his head. “You always ask the most meaningless questions. You have the answers in your heart if you would just search for them.” He chuckled, “But there is no point in looking. They cannot help you where you are.”

The young boy paused. He had the answers? He was sure he had never met this person before, but he felt familiar. It was almost the same feeling he got about Hayner, Pence and Olette, when Roxas’ feelings were reflected through him, but the emotions that came up with this wrinkled elder were not pleasant. His chest tightened with fear.

“Xehanort,” he whispered. Wait, where did that name come from? It had just popped into his head. It didn’t make any sense.

The old man stepped forward. “You seem to have a few prisoners within your heart, Sora, and I will be the one to free them!” Xehanort stretched his arm out, summoning a keyblade. It was black, twisted metal, a ram forming near the handle. Slices of white went up to the teeth of the blade. A striking, blue-green cat eye was near the top. Darkness emanated from this keyblade.

Xehanort walked toward Sora with it in one hand, his other hand still behind his back. He kept a coy grin on his face as he watched the young keyblade wielder struggle against the armor he was trapped in. He started to raise his keyblade.

“I have won, Sora. There is no point in resisting your destiny.”

_ No,  _ Sora thought,  _ I will not give up here. I’ve come too far! _ He pushed against his restraints, finding that they started to give. The metal was cracking and falling away. He thought of how hard he and his friends had fought to defeat the darkness. He couldn’t give in here. Not after Riku had sacrificed so much to wake him up. He couldn’t let Roxas down after he had promised he would bring him back. He wouldn’t leave Kairi behind. There was so much he still had to do.

“This time I will lock you away, where you will cause no further distractions.” The old man pointed his keyblade right at Sora’s chest, point-blank.

_ “It’s victory, or oblivion.” _

“NO!” Sora shouted. A burst of light broke through the armor and he materialized his keyblade, knocking away the blade in his enemy’s hand. The metal weapon clattered onto the stained glass floor, sliding away.

The boy’s breathing was heavy as he leaped back. It had taken a lot of energy to break through and defend himself, but there was still hope. He could continue fighting, even if it meant fighting destiny itself.

“You haven’t won yet, Xehanort.” Sora bent his knees, falling into his traditional fighting stance. He balanced his weight on the balls of his feet and gripped the keyblade with both hands.

The elder huffed, stretching his arm out at his side. His weapon reappeared in his hand. “Don’t underestimate me, boy.”

Sora saw him raise his keyblade in a very familiar way, and dodged as lightning bolts struck the glass where he had been standing.

“Fire!” Sora shouted as a brilliant burst of orange and blue shot from his blade and streaked toward his foe. The old man put his hand forward, palm out, and blocked with a reflect spell. There was a look of dark amusement across the man’s face.

Sora clenched his teeth in frustration. The old man was obviously a much more capable mage. It was going to be a long battle.

The boy sprinted toward Xehanort, his weapon drawn back to swing. The two keyblades clashed and sparks flew. The elder held up against the force of the assault, even pushing back. From there he stepped forward and pushed the kingdom key away, making Sora dodge and parry his lightning-fast blows. The young wielder held up against every attack, even throwing some swings of his own which were then deflected. Sora leaped into the air and twisted out of the way of the dark keyblade as it sliced where his head had been, bringing the kingdom key down full force on the man’s arm. Sora felt a sharp pain in his leg when he landed back on the floor but managed to dive to the side to avoid a flurry of dark energy.

The two leaped back from each other. Sora was obviously the more wounded of the two. Somehow he had taken injuries to his right shoulder and leg, while Xehanort kept his right arm limply at his side, switching his weapon to his left.

“I have to keep going,” Sora breathed as adrenaline rushed through his veins. He knew, deep down, that he was exhausted. He couldn’t keep fighting in his condition and his enemy just seemed to get stronger the longer they fought. It was as if Xehanort was actually a young man with enormous strength and energy, not an elder wrinkled with time.

Pushing past the pain, Sora threw a blizzard spell and charged right behind the flurries of ice and snow. The old man cast fire, the strength of the flames much greater than what Sora had conjured before. The ice didn’t have a chance to reach Xehanort before it was steam.

The guardian of light leaped above the fire and threw his keyblade at Xehanort. Flurries of wind surrounded the weapon, guiding it to its target. The wind suddenly started to grow into a hurricane, pushing everything, including its caster, back with tremendous force. Sora landed back on the glass floor, surprised at the size of his aero spell. Where was all of this magic energy coming from?

“We’ll fight together.”

Sora whipped his head around as he heard someone whisper in his ear. No one was there, but he was sure he felt someone standing right next to him. That voice, it was the same one he had heard earlier. It was so familiar.

“Roxas?” Sora asked.

A brilliant flash of light made Sora briefly close his eyes, his arms crossed in front of him. When he opened them again he saw a boy with striking blue eyes by his side. He looked just like Roxas, but something was off. He wore black and white clothing with a strange metal symbol on his chest. On his shoulder was a piece of greenish armor. The blond focused his eyes on Xehanort, a look of concentration on his face as he put his hand out, palm facing the raging winds that surrounded the kingdom key. He seemed to be controlling the wind spell, making it more intense. He stood completely still as the gale whipped at his clothes and hair.

A blast of dark energy erupted from the middle of the storm. The keyblade clattered to the floor as Xehanort walked past it. The seeker of darkness was obviously angry: his lips were pulled down in a frown, his golden eyes blazing, his steps slow.

“Ventus,” he growled. “How did I know you were going to betray your former master?”

Sora looked over to the boy, Ventus. This evil old man had once been his master? He didn’t seem to have even an ounce of darkness in him.

Ventus threw his arm back and a look of anger settled on his face. “You betrayed  _ me _ ! You shattered my heart when you created Vanitas and almost killed me!” He summoned a short, curved keyblade, holding it backhand. “You hurt so many people, and for what? For the sake of your curiosity?”

Sora had no idea what they were talking about, but what he did know was he couldn’t let Ventus fight alone. This was his fight and he couldn’t let others keep protecting him.

He reached out, calling his keyblade from where it still rested on the glass. It flashed with light and reappeared in his hand. Sora stepped forward and pointed his keyblade at Xehanort. “Give up already. The darkness will never take our hearts so long as we fight it together.”

Xehanort grinned. “Well maybe I should show you how your heart is already one with darkness.” He gestured to the black mist floating just beyond the station. “I have already won, Sora. Your resistance means nothing.”

There was a loud rumble as the glass floor started to shatter beneath them. Xehanort disappeared in a cloud of darkness. Sora could feel a warmth in his heart, as if he were floating up to the surface of the sea.

Ventus grabbed Sora’s arm. His blue eyes looked desperate but focused. “Sora, don’t let him trick you into believing there is no other way.” The blond was starting to dissolve into particles of light. Time was up. “Darkness is all he knows, don’t let him get to you!”

Before he could ask what he meant, Sora found himself falling as the floor disappeared under him.

 

 

Sora opened his eyes. He was standing on a beach, the waves gently lapping the shore. To his left was a tiny, raised piece of land with a palm tree, its leaves swaying in the light breeze. Star-shaped yellow fruit grew at the top. The trunk of the tree was curved, making it an ideal place to sit and watch the sun set over the ocean.

He was home. Had everything just been a dream? Was he still in the Mark of Mastery exam?

Sora looked around. He was alone, on his island. He looked down to see his hands had black gloves on them, his feet had black shoes on, and he was wearing a black cloak. He reached up as he realized the material was covering his head and pulled the hood down. Why was he wearing the organization’s clothes?

A feeling of dread washed over the young wielder as he stepped into the water, looking down. Dread turned to horror as he saw his reflection staring back at him with silver hair. But that wasn’t what made him want to turn away. It was his eyes.

His once-blue eyes were now a blazing gold.

_ What happened?  _ He thought, trying to calm his shaking hands,  _ I thought I had won. _ He put his face in his hands. He was trying not to panic. Everything was just so  _ wrong. _ It had to be a trick of some sort. He couldn’t be with the seekers of darkness. He just couldn’t.

“So you didn’t fall into the abyss after all.”

Sora froze. He recognized that condescending, all-knowing voice.

“Perhaps we will have more use for you than we initially thought,” Young Xehanort remarked.

Sora turned around, glaring straight into golden eyes that now matched his own. “Whatever your plans are, it will never happen. I won’t let it.” He forced the fear away as he spoke. This Organization member would not get the pleasure of seeing Sora panic.

The young man lifted his finger and pointed directly at Sora’s chest. “How can you continue to fight with so much darkness corrupting your heart? Are you sure you can still be the same boy as before?”

“What are you talking about? How can I be anyone else?”

A portal of darkness appeared behind Young Xehanort. The seeker of darkness walked up to Sora before he could process anything, grabbing his coat. He lifted the boy with almost no effort. “You will see that you can no longer be among the realm of light.”

Sora tried to wriggle free before he was thrown back and through the portal. A shout of surprise escaped his lips before everything went black. Was he going to be trapped in this darkness? From one abyss to another? He could still feel himself falling through the darkness, like falling from the sky.

Light touched his skin when he finally exited the portal of darkness and he found he really was falling from the sky and down to a small town surrounded by green. A large clock tower rapidly grew larger not far from his left, illuminated by the ever-setting sun to his right.

Twilight town.

Sora found his eyes closing, consciousness fading.

“Kairi...Riku…” he whispered before sleep took him once more.


	2. Chapter 2

  Young Xehanort stood still as the portal of darkness closed. He stared out over the ocean, old feelings lapping at him much as the waves on the beach did. He focused on the horizon, remembering how many times he had stood in this same spot, longing for something different. Something new.

“Don’t tell me you’re feeling homesick, now?” The sound of footsteps crunched over the sand toward him.

Young Xehanort didn’t turn to greet the visitor. “Did you have a request, Braig?”

The man smiled, his one amber eye glittered with amusement. “I want to know what you intend to do with our green bean?” He put his hand up to scratch his head. “I’m mainly concerned about delivering him to his friends after all the trouble of getting him in the first place.”

“It is to make him see that his place is no longer with the guardians of light. He will be much easier to control when he understands.” The young seeker held his hand out, catching a falling feather from a nearby seagull. “A heart of darkness does not belong in the light.”

  
  


__

_ “Sora!” A small ball of light was streaking toward his best friend, who sat still with his eyes closed, helpless. Riku wished Sora could just raise his hand, summon his keyblade and defend against Xehanort’s attack. _

_ There was a sudden flash of flames and a familiar figure appeared. Axel. The redhead put his chakrams forward in a defensive stance with Sora behind him, but right before Xehanort’s heart hit, he was knocked out of the way by a hooded figure with a strange weapon. The hood fell back as the two clashed. _

_ “Isa?” Axel was taken aback. His former best friend had yellow-gold eyes. He pushed the blue haired seeker back, trying to keep his promise to help Sora and his friends, but he already knew it was too late. _

_ Riku watched in horror as Xehanort’s heart entered Sora’s chest, pushing the boy back a little. Sora started to fall forward, tumbling out of his seat and heading for the hard floor far below. _

_ “No!” Riku shouted as he struggled under Ansem’s grip on him. He threw his opponent back and started making his way to his fastly falling friend. He felt a huge hand wrap around him, pinning his arms to his side. It was Ansem’s Guardian. The dark creature used its other hand to grab Mickey. They were trapped, forced to watch as Sora got closer to the ground. _

_ “Sora!” Riku shouted. _

_ Xemnas grabbed the sleeping boy around the waist mid-fall, having moved so fast it seemed he teleported there. _

_ Xehanort held his keyblade up, “The thirteen darknesses have assembled! Now we wait for the seven lights to do the same!” The old man stared down at Riku and Mickey, who glared furiously back. _

_ Riku felt the first bubbles of desperation in his chest. He had failed to save his closest friend. How could he let him down? _

_ Sora’s hair suddenly turned silver and he stood upright, still in the air, his eyes opening slowly as everything around him froze in time. Riku found that he could move, sliding out of his restraints easily. He looked around to see everyone had disappeared and the scene around him was changing. The ground was brown and cracked with strong winds blowing up dust. Where there had once been a ceiling there was sky with dark, swirling clouds. A bright, heart-shaped moon loomed above. It was large and shone with an ethereal blue light. _

_ Sora was floating several feet above the ground, wearing an Organization coat. His arms were outstretched as he stared up at the moon. “It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?” He said, reaching up as if to touch the blue surface. He pulled back, his gaze going down to focus on Riku. The wielder of Way to Dawn flinched when he saw those yellow eyes on Sora’s face instead of blue. There was so much pain and sadness in those eyes. _

_ “Why didn’t you save me, Riku?” _

 

 

  Riku was startled awake. He found that he was lying on the same bench in Twilight Town where he had decided to rest his eyes. It had been three days since Sora was taken by Organization Thirteen. Three days since everyone started looking for him in every world. Three days since Riku had gotten any proper sleep.

The Mark of Mastery exam had gone horribly wrong, with neither wielder made a master and one taken captive as a seeker of darkness. Master Yen Sid had told him it wasn’t his fault but Riku didn’t agree. He didn’t protect Sora like he should have. From the beginning he had known something was wrong, but didn’t do anything to stop the exam before his friend fell into enemy hands.

Of course, Axel felt much the same way. He refused to believe there was nothing he could have done. He had just told everyone he would be searching in every world, and disappeared.

Riku could only imagine the pain the redhead was going through. Not only was Sora gone, but so was his chance of getting Roxas back. It was like he had lost two friends at once. And then there was Isa… Axel’s childhood friend had been possessed and was working with the seekers to bring about the end of the worlds.

“Hey!”

Lost in thought, Riku hadn’t noticed a boy around his age run up. The kid had dirty-blond hair and brown eyes. He had obviously been running for a while as he bent down to take in deep breaths, hands on his knees.

“Hayner, right?” Riku had heard from Sora about Hayner’s group, how they had been friends with Roxas in an alternate world. He had never actually met the boy so he was going off a simple description.

Hayner shook his head. “There’s no time for that now, you need to get to the station!” He pointed up to what seemed to be a black dot in the sky. Was that a portal of darkness? “That thing just appeared out of nowhere and we need to make sure it’s not anymore of those strange creatures trying something. Kairi is already there and said to look for a silver-haired teen named Riku. That’s you, right?”

Riku was already standing. “Yeah, that’s me. Let’s go.”

He ran as fast as he could. All those hours searching had lead to dead end after dead end so at least here he could be helpful, but what was Kairi doing at the station? Did she have any news about their missing friend? He felt a pang of guilt as he thought about the last time they had talked. She hadn’t taken the news about Sora well, but who would? Riku had given out the news and left without even saying goodbye. He still felt it was his fault Sora was captured. He had abandoned Kairi when she really needed him there. She was strong and could think logically, but she still needed at least one friend around. He knew this but had left all the same. Seeing her again, Riku knew he had much explaining to do.

Riku watched the portal as someone fell out of it, the dark gate disappearing seconds after. He couldn’t make out much but noticed the black coat the figure was wearing. Why would one of the Organization members have their gate so high? Did they miscalculate?

As they fell he got a feeling of familiarity. He knew that shape, that spiked hair…

Riku’s heart jumped into his throat when realization hit him. It was Sora! He raced to the station. He had to catch him this time. He had no idea why his friend was falling out of the sky, much less from a portal of darkness, but he didn’t want to question it. Sora was obviously unconscious so he couldn’t catch himself and he was getting awfully close to the ground.

Kairi was looking up when the pair reached the station. Her eyes were wide, her hands by her chest. She turned her worried gaze to Riku as he and Hayner got closer. It was a silent plea to save him.

He didn’t need to be asked.

Riku gathered his strength and leaped up, catching Sora in his arms. The young man was heavier than Riku expected. His feet skidded along the ground as he landed and he held his friend close to his chest. Sora’s hair was silver, like it had been in Riku’s dream. The boy’s eyes were closed but Riku had a terrible feeling he knew what color they’d be.

He forced away a sting of fear as he looked over his friend for injuries. There was no way his friend had changed that much. His heart was too strong, asleep or not.

Riku looked up to see Kairi, Hayner and two others running up. Kairi immediately knelt beside Sora, a hand at her mouth as she saw Sora’s new hair color. She brushed a hand through it and narrowed her eyes.

“Riku,” those big, violet-blue eyes turned to him, and he saw such a burning resolve he almost flinched. “We need to go to Master Yen Sid. He should know how to help Sora.”

Riku nodded. He lifted his friend again. There didn’t seem to be any bruises or wounds on his face and he didn’t have broken bones. How did he escape? There had to have been a fight in order for him to leave, unless Xehanort and his Seekers were atrocious with guard duty.

“Why does he look like that?” Hayner asked.

“I don’t remember his hair being silver,” A girl Riku didn’t know looked at Sora, her brows furrowed in confusion. Her eyes were a brilliant green, her hair brown.

“Is he going to be okay?” A boy with dark hair and eyes stepped forward. He looked up at Riku.

Riku tensed. He didn’t know this person either, but they did fit the description Sora had given for his Twilight Town friends.

Kairi noticed Riku’s discomfort and smiled. “You should have met Hayner already,” she said, “and this is Pence,” the dark-haired boy nodded,” and Olette.” The girl waved.

“We wanted to help find Sora and were about to search the town when that strange dark hole appeared in the sky,” Pence said.

“I didn’t know what to do when Kairi said to go get you,” Olette added.

Hayner folded his arms, “She had seen you here a little earlier, I guess. Told us to go get you and bring you here.”

Riku felt his cheeks flush with heat. Had she seen him sleeping?

“Thank you for your help,” Kairi said. She gave them a small smile.

“Anytime.”

“Always happy to help.”

“He’d do the same for us.”

There was a big gust of wind and a large, red and orange rocket flew over the station, landing slowly in front of them.

“That’s our ride,” Riku nodded toward the Gummi ship. He started toward the ship but paused for a moment. “Thank you again. We’ll let you know how he’s doing when we get back.” He didn’t wait for a reply before making his way up the ramp and into the ship. He was greeted by two familiar faces once inside, Kairi at his heels and waving to the trio behind them.

“Is that really Sora?” Donald quacked.

Riku sighed as he set his friend on the bench behind the three seats up front. The Gummi ship was fairly small inside and didn’t offer much seating space in the dome-shaped cockpit. Below deck wasn’t much better. In fact, it was more of an engine room.

“It’s Sora, alright,” Goofy answered. “But the real question is what happened to him? And how did he escape?”

Riku sat on the floor. “Xehanort happened.”

Kairi glanced at him and went on to explain. “You remember how Sora was taken captive by that Organization?” The two nodded. “Well he was taken because he now has a piece of Xehanort’s heart in him. That’s why he looks different.”

“Is this like what that Ansem feller did to Riku?” Goofy asked.

“Not exactly,” Riku replied. “I had given in to the darkness, and Ansem used me through that. I never had a piece of his heart within mine.”

“Knowing Sora, he’ll fight it anyway,” Donald said as he steered the Gummi ship up and out of Twilight Town.

Goofy nodded, “Yeah! Sora isn’t gonna give up, even if he’s outnumbered or overpowered. That’s just how he is.”

Kairi smiled and pushed her red hair out of her eyes. She knelt down next to Riku. “He’ll win. I know he will.”

 

 

 The ride to Yen Sid’s tower was long and uneventful. Riku knew it was a good thing there were no heartless or nobodies to be seen, but he couldn’t help how restless he was. He wanted to fight something if it was just to feel he was doing something helpful. Sora still hadn’t woken up. He hadn’t even moved.

The four made their way up the steps and through the double door entrance of the tower. They then climbed up a few flights of stairs, soon reaching the door to the Wizard’s Chamber. Kairi knocked lightly twice before opening the door using the golden handle on the dark, polished wood.

Yen Sid sat at his desk, which was a wide table made of the same dark wood as the door. His rather large eyebrows came down in concern as he saw the group enter the room. His piercing, dark gaze rested on Sora and he sighed, “I see the boy does indeed have Xehanort’s heart within him.”

“Is there anything we can do for him?” Riku asked.

The group had their hopeful eyes on the master. If Sora could be helped, Master Yen Sid would be the one to know how to do so. He had been King Mickey’s teacher and a former Keyblade Master. His magic knew no bounds.

The elder stroked his long, gray beard. “We will first have to wait for Sora to wake, so we can ascertain as to who he believes he is.”

Kairi stepped forward, “Master, you mean Sora might not be himself?”

The wizard nodded slowly and the four’s shoulders slumped. “We will keep Sora in the tower, but unfortunately we will have to take precautions.”

They knew exactly what he meant. They had to lock Sora in a room and guard him at all times.

Riku clenched his fist into Sora’s Organization coat. “Fine.”

Kairi nodded and turned to Riku. “We don’t have to worry about it. It’s best if we protect him anyway, as the Organization might come back for him.”

Master Yen Sid stood, “I will send word to the others of Sora’s condition. You four best let Sora rest in one of the rooms.”

“Yes, sir,” Donald and Goofy said. They turned and left, leaving the door open for their following comrades.

“Kairi. Riku.” Yen Sid stopped the pair and their heads turned to him. “Let Donald and Goofy take the first watch. You need rest as much as Sora does.”

They nodded and exited, closing the door behind them. They walked down the big staircase and entered into a hallway lined with doors. Donald and Goofy waved to them about five doors down.

“Wasn’t this hallway an empty room before?” Kairi asked as they walked down the velvet carpet.

Riku nodded, “Master Yen Sid must have changed everything up. Who knows what this tower is capable of?”

“Why this room?” Kairi asked as they reached Sora’s companions.

“Master Yen Sid contacted us and said this room was the most well-guarded inside and out so we wouldn’t have to worry about the Organization.” Goofy said.

“Aw, phooey. Who needs it when we’re here to protect Sora?”

“We’d be outnumbered, Donald,” Goofy chuckled.

Kairi gave a light laugh. “How about we let Riku’s arms rest and get into that room?”

The two looked up and immediately jumped to either side of the wooden door. “Sorry!” Goofy apologized.

Donald gave him a sly look, “You should pay more attention.”

“But Donald, weren’t you in the way too?” The King’s knight asked.

“Only because of you, ya big palooka!”

Riku and Kairi opened the door, leaving the duo to bicker and tease each other as they always did. Riku looked down and thought about how Sora would have joined with a few cheesy jokes and jabs of his own.

Inside, the room was small with a high ceiling. The stone walls welcomed the soft glow of a beautiful crystal chandelier. A narrow window with thin, blue and gold curtains was to the left of the entrance with a gorgeous view of the stars. A narrow bed was against the wall beside it. It was perfectly made with blue and gold blankets, matching pillows, and white sheets. There was a simple wooden chair next to the bed. The room had a cozy feel to it despite not having an obvious heat source or much room to roam around.

Kairi clasped her hands behind her back as she took it all in. “It’s simple, but I think Sora would prefer it like this.” She laughed.

Riku put Sora on the bed and turned to her, smiling for a moment. “He wouldn’t want us to worry about fancy accommodations anyway. He’d think he had to repay us in some way for everything.”

Kairi tilted her head and gave him a smug smile, “Just like someone else I know.”

Riku grinned. He knew how stubborn he could be about wanting to do everything himself, especially if he helped make the problem. His fall to darkness and all the struggles with it including Ansem were his problems, and he didn’t want to burden anyone with them. Somehow, Sora had gotten himself mixed up in it despite every precaution Riku took to push him the other direction. His friend had always believed in him. Even when Riku tried to hurt him, Sora refused to give up. Riku couldn’t figure out why the boy had so much faith and patience with people. All he could do was try to do the same for him no matter what.

_ But I failed to help him when it really mattered. _

He saw Kairi give a big yawn and suppressed one himself. “I think it’s time you got some rest.”

Kairi gently elbowed his arm. “You need to rest too. I know I’m not the only one who needs it.”

Riku again wondered if she had seen him sleeping on that bench and shook off the following embarrassment, “Yeah.”

They started toward the door when Kairi looked back at the still figure sleeping on the bed. Her blue-violet eyes clouded with worry and her hand slowly made a fist over her heart.

“Hey,” Riku put a hand on her shoulder, “He’ll be fine. They’ll let us know if he wakes up.”

She nodded and followed him out into the hallway.

Goofy was leaning against the wall staring into space and Donald was standing with his arms crossed, foot tapping the ground. They both jumped to life when Riku and Kairi appeared.

“Is everything okay?” Donald asked.

Riku sighed, “Still no changes. I’m thinking he won’t wake up for a while.”

The two slouched.

“Well, we’ll wait here until he does,” Goofy declared. He stood straight, concentration written on his features.

“Yeah, he’s being so lazy, what would he do without us?” Donald cackled.

Riku nodded. Sora had a lot of support. They would help him through this and anything else that might pop up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got too excited and went on a writing binge so you guys get some early content! Let me know what you think as this is new for me. Feedback would be sweet.

  Sora’s dreams were filled with confusing images and sounds that flashed by too quick to process. He kept hearing scraping metal on metal, shouts from far away and maniacal laughter. He felt heat and cold brush his skin. The worst part of the dream came when all the images shattered and he dropped into a black pit with no light. Sora desperately searched for an exit. His hands found barriers all around. There was no way out.

_ A heart of darkness cannot survive in the light. _

He woke with a gasp and immediately jumped up from the bed he was on. He paused and stared back at the piece of furniture. He gradually came to his senses and moved his gaze around the small space he found himself in. He wasn’t in a black pit or outside by the clock tower. How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was falling…

“Am I somewhere in Twilight Town?” He wondered aloud, studying his hands and pulling off the black gloves he still wore. His skin was the same it had always been. Sora checked his legs and arms for any injuries. He found nothing.

He plopped onto the bed with a huff and watched the fire in the fireplace. He shivered and moved closer to it, trying to warm up.

_ I’m sure I fell from a really high point. Where are the bruises from it? How am I even walking right now? _

He shivered again and rubbed his arms. Why was he so cold?

As he thought, he heard some rustling from the other side of the door to his room. There was something familiar about that laughter…

Sora leaped off the bed with a wide grin and pulled on the worn gold handle. “He-”

He couldn’t finish his greeting before he was wrapped in hugs from two of his closest friends and traveling companions. They nearly knocked him down.

“Sora!” Donald quacked.

“You’re awake!” Goofy laughed.

Sora smiled wide as he tried to regain his balance, “I guess I am. Sorry for worrying you guys.”

They pulled back and briefly wiped their eyes.

“Yeah, well, don’t make a habit out of it,” Donald said.

“Aw, Donald, I didn’t know you were crying for me,” Sora teased.

The magician held his hands up and backed away. “I didn’t do that, I had something in my eye.”

Goofy and Sora laughed.

“I’m sure that’s what it was.”

“Gawrsh, Donald, you don’t havta lie.”

Donald scowled and crossed his arms. “You haven’t changed at all.”

Sora felt a weight leave his shoulders. He had no idea how happy he would be to hear he was still himself. He shook his head. What did he expect? He could only be himself, no matter what any old man said.

“Where are everyone else?” Sora asked. He pushed past his friends out into a slightly chilly hallway, looking down both ways before realizing it was empty. He scratched his head and frowned as he thought. “How long was I out?”

He turned to see his companions frown and exchange a look of worry.

“We don’t know,” Donald said.

“Riku and Kairi were the ones who found you and contacted us,” Goofy explained, “You were already asleep when we saw you.”

“Well, let’s go ask them,” Sora said.

“How about we wait for them to get down here? We already told them you woke up.” Goofy pointed to a small device with a red button.

“Oh, okay.” Sora leaned back against the wall and folded his arms behind his head. He had a lot of questions for everyone.

It was no time at all when Sora heard footsteps rumbling down the stairs. He smiled when he saw his childhood friends. Their faces lit up when they saw him waving to them as if he’d only come back from a short vacation.

“Riku! Kairi!” He called cheerfully. Then two more faces met his eyes. “Your Majesty! And...is that...AXEL!?” Sora rubbed his eyes in disbelief but the redhead was still there, hanging back as the other three friends raced over.

He couldn’t keep his balance when Kairi, Riku and the King threw themselves at Sora and hugged him. He hit the soft carpet with a big huff and laughed. He felt really happy and warm and safe with his friends. The warmth sent tingles of happiness up his spine.

They stood up and Sora jumped up with them. He felt like flying at that moment and his smile had never been wider.

Mickey gave him an odd look. “Hmm. I was worried when I saw the changes, but you still seem to be the same Sora.”

Sora flinched and tugged on his hair. So the changes were still there.

“It’s good to see you safe and sound again,” Kairi said, breaking Sora out of his thoughts. She wrapped her arms around his torso and gave him a tight hug with her ear resting above his heart. Sora hugged her back, feeling that warm sensation again. He had no idea how much he had needed reassurance.

Until it started to get too warm.

He removed his hands from her back and hissed in pain as he felt a burning sensation go through him. It was as if his insides were on fire and trying to burn their way out through his skin. He felt pricks of pain like needles go through his skin and along his ribs, right where Kairi rested.

She looked up at his sound of pain and immediately let go. “What’s wrong?” She questioned. “Sora?”

Sora was trying to take deep breaths and stay upright. The pain was suddenly so intense he couldn’t focus. He was going to be burned alive from the inside out. What was happening to him? The pin pricks had stopped the moment she let go, but the fire going through him raged on. His hands clenched against his ribs where the flames felt the hottest and he groaned in pain.

“Hey, Sora, snap out of it!”

“What’s going on?”

Distant voices spoke, but Sora didn’t know who they belonged to.

“Axel, do you know why he’s acting like this?”

“No clue. Did he do this when you first found him?”

“He was unconscious at that time, so no.” That sounded like Riku.

“Sora? Can you hear me? Sora?” A feminine voice, high-pitched with concern.

Everything was red. Red and black and dripping. He wanted it to end. Sora could see some of the flames: black and purple dancing off his skin. He closed his eyes tight, hoping the darkness emanating off him was just a hallucination. He had no idea darkness could hurt so much, but the pain was slowly subsiding. Everything was cooling down and his heart stopped the erratic beating Sora didn’t know it was making. He could breathe a little. He had lungs that weren’t glowing embers among the ashes of his organs.

His vision was clearing and he gently straightened up. He glanced at his friends, seeing their concerned and scared faces as they watched their friend suffer without even knowing why he was in such agony.

“I’m sorry,” Sora finally whispered. He didn’t know what he was sorry for but he had to say something.

“What was that?” Axel asked.

“I don’t - I don’t know.”

“Are you okay?” King Mickey asked.

“Where did that even come from?” Riku wondered.

“It happened when I hugged him…” Kairi whispered. “Is it my fault?”

“No.” Sora grunted. His lungs were still taking in hot, painful air. Every breath felt acidic. He looked down at his hands. Black and red marks stained his hands and arms as if the skin had been met with an open flame. He heard rather than saw his friends’ reactions, but he didn’t say a word because he knew why it happened. He put a shaking hand over the coldest part in his body, a place that used to be the warmest. He had tried to push the worry away when he first woke up, thinking it had to be due to his nightmare or shock or  _ something _ . A whole new level of fear crept into his mind as he thought of what the change meant.

Sora looked at his friends with a deep, crushing sadness. “My heart really is one of darkness now.”


	4. Chapter 4

Sora didn’t know words could make time stop. He didn’t know that he didn’t need a spell to make his world completely freeze. His friends just stared at him with those pitying expressions. He didn’t need pity. He needed...he wanted…

Sora’s mind was blank. How could he fix this? Everything had been so straightforward before. The solution had always been there, even if it seemed almost impossible to actually make it reality. He had gone through so much, fought so many enemies and done so many good deeds, only to fall to the same darkness he fought? It was cruelly poetic.

Frustration wasn’t a common emotion Sora felt. He was always the one taking it easy, going wherever his heart guided him. Hopelessness and terror were even rarer, yet he was feeling a mix of all of these. He didn’t know how to work with them. They piled on each other, becoming stronger and more overwhelming.

A hand on Sora’s shoulder made him jump.

“We’re here to help you,” Riku promised. “I’ve had experience dealing with the darkness in my heart, so maybe I can give you some advice on how to fight it.”

Axel scratched his head. “I mainly dealt with outside darkness and peer pressure, but I’ll try to help out too.”

Mickey nodded. “We’ll all help you get through this.”

“Yeah,” Donald and Goofy chimed.

“You won’t be alone in this fight, Sora,” Kairi said. She leaned in close to Sora’s face. He blinked and leaned back. “You have to promise me you’ll let us help, okay?”

Sora nodded. He couldn’t speak. He had nothing to say. He knew this was a very different situation than any he had been faced with before. Riku had been able to banish Ansem from his heart and use the darkness with the light. Riku had fallen into a dark chasm that he had to fight and claw his way out of. Sora was trapped in a black pit with no exit. He couldn’t banish and fight this darkness because it was now a part of him. Xehanort still had a hold on Sora’s heart and wouldn’t go away no matter what battles were fought.

_ What am I doing? Since when did I dwell on hopelessness and despair? _

The young wielder shook the negative thoughts out of his head. He took a deep breath of finally-cool air and stood straight. “Thank you. I know we’ll find a way to fix this and stop Xehanort in his tracks.”

Everyone seemed to relax a little more.

“You really didn’t change, Sora,” Axel remarked.

Riku gave a small smile. “Who knows? Maybe this will build up your resistance to darkness. You’ll need it if we’re going to be facing off against its users.”

“By the way,” Sora said, “Why are you here, Axel? I thought-”

“You saw me fade away?” Axel finished, hands on his hips. “I thought I was done for good too until I woke up in Radiant Garden as a human again. Oh, and the name’s Lea. Get it memorized.”

Sora smiled wide, forgetting his worries for a moment. “Alright, Lea, it’s good to see you alive and well again.” He held out his hand. “Maybe we can become friends the right way this time.”

The redhead scoffed and shook Sora’s hand. “I thought there was no right or wrong way to make friends.”

The group laughed and joked for a moment, save for one person.

Kairi had moved to the back of the group. She was staring at the wall, obviously deep in thought. Sora felt a pang of guilt. He knew the pure light in her heart had been what hurt him and he couldn’t help it, but he still felt sorry for it.

“Hey, why the long face?” Donald questioned.

Sora shook his head. “Sorry, I was just, um…” He glanced at Kairi again. She was smiling back at him. “I was thinking, I need to get stronger.”

Donald and Goofy chuckled softly. Sora blushed and put his hands up. “No, no, guys, stop. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Of course not,” Donald smirked.

“We understand, Sora,” Goofy said. “You need to be able to protect those closest to you.”

“Protect the things that matter,” Riku mumbled, almost too quiet to hear.

Sora laughed. “Yeah, I guess you could put it that way. I want to help everyone.”

“Believe me, we know.” Axel, er, Lea, waved. “I’m going to sleep now that you’re back to being cheesy.” He started down the hall but briefly paused. “Sora? I’m sorry I couldn’t help you back there, but I’m glad you’re okay.” He left without waiting for a reply.

“Don’t worry,” Kairi quickly said, “he’ll be fine. He just needs some time to forgive himself. I’ll talk to him next training session.”

“Meanwhile, you should get some more rest,” Riku gently pushed Sora toward the bedroom door before he could ask Kairi how her training with the keyblade was going.

Sora laughed and agreed. He was still pretty tired.

“We’ll talk more when you feel better,” Donald said right before the door closed.

Sora walked a couple steps and sat on the edge of the bed. Gently, he pulled his shirt up. Just as he thought, his chest down to his stomach had the same black and red patches. Angry-looking welts clumped together right above his heart.

Sora sighed heavily and pulled his shirt back down. He was too tired to cast cure at the moment, and he didn’t want to bother Donald about it. So he just flopped back onto the soft blankets, watching the light from the chandelier dance on the walls until he fell asleep.

 

Sora was once again standing on a circle of stained glass, but it was just a scene from his home, Destiny Islands. A single palm tree with star-shaped fruit was on a raised part of the beach. The ocean and sky covered most of the glass surface. Sora walked over to the tree, crouching to softly brush his hand over the fruit hanging from its fronds. His chest tightened as he took it all in. Without his friends or the sounds of the waves or birds it felt lonely.

“Do you miss your home?”

Sora snapped up and looked for the source of the voice. A cloud of darkness formed on the station, quickly dissipating to reveal Xehanort. He had both of his gloved hands behind his back in a relaxed stance, which Sora found infuriating. How dare Xehanort make Sora’s heart home? He knew it wouldn’t do anything for him if he fought, but that wasn’t going to deter him.

He stood as anger flooded him.

“Sora, don’t!”

Sora turned around to see a young blond he recognized.

“Ventus?”

The boy ran up and grabbed Sora’s wrist. “Don’t fight. Don’t summon your keyblade!”

“What?”

“I would listen to the brat if I were you,” Xehanort commented. He had that twisted grin on his face again.

Sora felt that surge of anger. He wanted so badly to summon his keyblade and defeat Xehanort right then and there, but Ventus kept hold of his wrist.

He looked back to talk to the blond to find empty air. Confused, Sora turned to Xehanort. Nothing. Not even a wisp of darkness to suggest he had ever been there. The light around him was going dim as he studied his hands.

_ What happens if I summon my keyblade? How else am I supposed to fight? _

The glass started cracking and the pillar shook. Sora clenched his fists, looking up into the small glow of light far above him. It seemed even further away than before.

How was he falling even deeper into the darkness?


	5. Chapter 5

The Wizard’s Chamber was quiet as everyone stared at Yen Sid. The old man was deep in thought, his hand on his long beard out of habit.

Riku folded his arms. His impatience was only growing the longer the silence lasted. He looked to his right. Kairi stared at the floor with her hands together. Donald and Goofy kept looking back and forth between Yen Sid and each other in an obvious display of nerves.

Riku looked over to his left. King Mickey had that worried expression on his face again. Lea leaned against a bookcase, eyes closed but clearly awake and focused judging by the angry set of his eyebrows. He still had his black coat on and Riku wondered if he was ever going to take it off.

Lea sighed, opening his eyes and standing up straight. “There must be something we can do to purge Xehanort’s heart from Sora’s. We can’t just leave him like this.”

“Lea’s right,” Riku stepped forward. “It isn’t so simple as Sora fighting and controlling the darkness like I did. This darkness isn’t just his own being used against him, it is an entire heart forced into his own.”

Yen Sid opened his eyes. “That is true, Riku. But we do not know the details of his possession. Sora’s heart was supposed to be lost in sleep but he somehow escaped it. Not only that, the boy was found being delivered into our hands as if the Organization had planned this all along.”

Riku couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“But why would the Organization take Sora only to give him back a few days later?” Mickey asked.

“I’m not certain, it is simply speculation. Sora may have escaped on his own.”

“Nothing’s ever simple with Xehanort,” Riku said. “If I learned anything dealing with his Heartless, it’s that he has many different plans for every scenario. It’s hard to predict his actions.”

“We can’t give up, then.” Kairi raised her head. “We have to find a way to stop Xehanort even if it seems impossible.” She looked around at everyone. “Sora would keep fighting for us, even if he faced impossible odds. We have to do the same for him.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Riku smiled at her.

Lea rubbed his head, “Since when did Sora make you so cheesy? But alright, I’m in. I’ll help wherever I can.”

“Are you still training to wield a Keyblade, Lea?” Goofy asked.

Lea sighed. “I’ve been working with the fairies whenever I have time, but I can’t conjure it yet.” He raised his hand. “Something about the flick of the wrist..” A flash of light blinded everyone in the room and when it dimmed the redhead was holding an orange keyblade with one of his chakrams as the hilt. The blade itself was made in the shape of flames.

“Woah…” Everyone stared at the new keyblade. Even Yen Sid stood.

“Hey, would you look at that,” Lea chuckled. “Now how do I…?” He held it in front of him and the blade dematerialized into specks of light. “Neat-o.”

Kairi laughed, “‘Neat-o?’” she echoed. “That’s all you have to say?”

He shrugged. “Anyway, what’s the plan to help Sora?”

Yen Sid was sitting in his chair once more. He smiled. “It is wonderful Sora has so many willing to help him, but we have others that also need rescue. Riku, Mickey,” he beckoned to them with a hand. They walked up to his desk where two suitcases appeared in a puff of smoke. “We need to reclaim those who were lost so long ago. Master Aqua resides in the Realm of Darkness. A place with so much danger requires some form of protection. The three good fairies made and enchanted these garments for your travels.”

The two grabbed their cases, Riku slinging it over his shoulder and holding it like a coat.

“I gave Mickey some information on a way to pass into the Dark Realm. We must retrieve Aqua at all costs.”

Mickey nodded but Riku hesitated.

“Master?”

“Yes, Riku?”

The boy swallowed a lump in his throat. “I understand we need to save Aqua, but are you sure Sora wouldn’t need me here? It’s just...I made a promise to help him with his darkness...”

The wizard nodded knowingly. “I understand your concern. Sora will be in more than capable hands and you can keep your promise to him once you return. Master Aqua has had experience with darkness and even faced Xehanort in battle once. I am certain she would be able to help Sora in his predicament.”

“Don’t worry, Riku,” Mickey cheerfully interjected, “Master Aqua is also a great magician of the light. I’m sure she would help Sora.”

“Besides,” Kairi walked forward and leaned in close. “He’ll be here with us.”

“Yeah,” Donald quacked.

“Don’t worry, Riku. We’re always here to help Sora,” Goofy chuckled.

“He’s right,” Lea said, “we don’t give up on friends, got it memorized?”

Riku met his friends’ gazes and sighed. “Alright, I’ll be back soon.”

The group smiled wide as the two left the room.

Riku still couldn’t force his worry away completely. He wondered if he should speak with Sora before he left but the door that opened to a hallway now was just an empty room with a few decorations here and there on the walls.

“Where’s the hallway?”

Mickey kept walking, “Master Yen Sid said only friends looking specifically for Sora would be able to enter the hallway.”

“Really? He didn’t tell me that.”

“Sora will be okay until we get back, Riku.”

Riku didn’t reply. They left the room through the opposite door and he paused for only a moment in the doorway. “I’ll see you soon, Sora.”

The latch clicked into place as the wooden door shut.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter down, many more to go. I have been playing Kingdom Hearts 3 obsessively so the next post might be a day or two late. Thanks for sticking with me and enjoy!

He didn’t know why he was angry, just that he was and needed to punch something. Sora had practiced some of his magic skills inside the little room. It was a bit reckless of him to do so, but he couldn’t bring himself to really care. Somewhere during this training he became enraged and started throwing balls of fire at the stone walls to make himself feel better. The whole room soon became scorched and nearly unrecognizable with ash and soot.

Sora really wanted to summon his keyblade and whack some things, but he held himself back. Ventus had told him not to call upon it, so he wouldn’t.

Sora sat back against the door, energy drained. He held his hand up. The burns had healed after he cast cure on them along with the rest of the marks on his arms and chest. He shuddered just thinking about the awful pain.

“What can I do without the keyblade?” He wondered aloud. He had been without it before and was little more than a low-grade magician.

He coughed and started to feel inklings of guilt at the state his room was in. Sighing, the boy reached for a cloth by his bed and wiped at all the soot. The cloth only smeared it around. He scratched his head as he thought, then headed for the door. He pulled on the golden handle.

It was locked. Why would it be locked?

_ Because your friends don’t trust you, _ a little voice in the back of his mind sneered.

Sora shook his head. Of course his friends trusted him. They were probably watching for the Organization in case they wanted their prize back.

“Oh, I forgot to tell them about Young Xehanort letting me go…” He paused. That had really happened, right? Things were so confusing it was hard to tell the difference between reality and dreams anymore. He thought for a moment. No. It had to have happened in order for him to be at Yen Sid’s tower. He couldn’t have escaped by himself without remembering it.

He had a feeling telling his friends all this would make them more worried.

Frustrated, he plopped on his blackened bed. The leather coat by the foot fell to the floor in a heap. Sora had changed out of it earlier, unable to keep wearing such stifling material. He was wearing a simple white tank top with a short, red jacket and brown cargo shorts. He didn’t know where the clothing came from but he was grateful to have found it by the bed when he woke up.

A knock at the door made Sora jump up. He took one look at the state his room was in and ran straight up to the door before it could open fully.

“Woah, hey, Sora.”

“Lea?”

He smiled sheepishly. “Uh, yeah. I just came to let you know Riku and Mickey will be gone for a few days.”

This took Sora aback. “Huh? Without saying goodbye?”

“They were sent off pretty quick so they couldn’t visit. That and it’s hard to find you if the intentions aren’t pure and you’re not a priority.”

“Oh, so I’m not important,” Sora teased.

“That’s right.”

“What?!”

“I’m just kidding.” Lea scoffed. He pushed against the door. “Hey can I come i-”

He stopped when he saw the blackened room and gave Sora a knowing look. “Frustrated with the protective bubble so you decided to play with fire? My favorite past time.”

Sora blushed, “I was just practicing my magic, and I couldn’t go anywhere else to do it.”

“Practice? This looks like you were at war with the walls. They say mean things to you or something?” He pushed past Sora and knocked against the stone.

“Fire has always been a bit different each time I use it. I’m just trying to get it down.”

Lea shrugged. “That’s fine. If you want to practice then let’s go to the training room.”

Sora scratched his head. “Am I able to move around?”

“Why not? It’s not like you’ll go full psycho on me and even if you do,” he summoned a keyblade with a flash of fire and light. “I’ll bring you back.”

Sora stared in awe. “When did  _ you  _ get a-”

“Keyblade? Just now, actually. This is only the second time I’ve conjured it.” He dematerialized the blade. “It’s pretty cool. I can see why everyone wants one of these.”

Sora laughed. “Tell me about it. Let’s go.”

 

The training room was huge when Sora finally stepped into it. The way there had been confusing with lots of doubling back only to see everything around them had changed. It was both amazing and confusing.

Lea walked into the middle of the room. He turned in a circle. “A real night sky all around us and a mirror for a floor. They just love making everything here as magical as possible, but I’m not complaining. It’s better than constant white.”

Sora tilted his head. “Where did you see only white? The Organization’s headquarters had a bit more color, even if some parts were bland.”

The redhead held up one finger. “I’ll tell you if you can beat me in a short spar.” He summoned his keyblade and pointed it at Sora. “How does that sound?”

“Weren’t we here to practice magic?” Sora didn’t want to fight, especially since he was putting the keyblade on hiatus. He also wasn’t sure how to explain his situation without sounding crazy.

Lea walked up to the boy, his keyblade disappearing. “Now that’s not the Sora I know. What’s going on? I heard you never turn down a match.”

That was true. Sora could be defeated a thousand times and still want to go one more round. Riku had said he was ridiculously persistent and thick-headed for it.

“I-I can’t call my keyblade,” Sora stuttered, deciding that keeping secrets would do more harm than good. He looked down at his reflection. The silver hair and yellow eyes were still a shock to see on him. A reminder of what he was.

_ What is a heart of darkness doing with guardians of light? _

Sora shook off the thought.

“Woah,” Lea blinked a few times. “I wasn’t expecting that answer. Is it because of the whole…”

“I think so.”

“You don’t know?”

“Well…” Sora scratched his head. He couldn’t think of a way to explain it because he hardly understood it himself. “I haven’t actually tried to summon it.”

Lea folded his arms and stared at Sora. “You aren’t exactly making sense, you know.” He shook his head, “But I won’t pry. I’ve learned that everyone has something they’re working through. So let’s just focus on magic, deal?”

Sora smiled gratefully. He hadn’t expected Lea to let it go so easily. Maybe using the keyblade wasn’t such a big priority at the moment.

The training went smoothly. Sora found that his magic wasn’t forgotten but it did lack some of the power it used to have behind it. He found this problem very frustrating, though he refused to let it bog him down. He would just have to keep training, like he always had.

Lea, as expected, was amazing with fire spells. He could conjure entire walls of fire with ease. But the second he tried a blizzard spell, it fizzled out within seconds.

“Ah, ice has never been in my deck of cards,” the redhead smirked.

Sora stopped his barrage of fire at a practice figure for a moment and grinned, “You just have to keep trying. You’ll get it.”

Lea waved his hand dismissively, “Nah, it’s more of an Even thing.”

Sora paused in thought. “Who?”

“Oh, you wouldn’t know him. He’s back in Radiant Garden with Ienzo, Dilan and Aeleus. We were all once Organization members before waking up human not too long ago.”

“Hey, Lea? Why were some of the members missing when we went after the Organization?”

The redhead frowned. “The details are a little fuzzy on some parts. I know you and Riku were there, along with Namine, but I can’t tell you much.” Lea stretched. “Let’s not try to focus on it.”

“Okay.” Sora decided to drop it. He had a feeling the story went much further but there was no point in asking more when it came to Lea. Instead, he again focused on the magically-conjured figure in front of him.

_ Are you sure you don’t want to summon your keyblade? _

Sora ignored the thought. He knew it had to be Xehanort trying to control him somehow. The darkness in his heart was calling to him.

The figure seemed to be taking on the face of and old man with yellow eyes. It showed his twisted smile as it reached toward him. Sora felt a pang of fear and anger, stumbling back. He raised his hand and, almost as if he were being controlled, called forth an enormous wind spell that quickly turned into three circling tornadoes.

He had to defeat Xehanort. He had to get stronger.

Lightning started to hit around the tornadoes, the energy arcing high into the air and bouncing off the mirrored floor.

_ Stronger… _

Sora felt a strange energy coming off him. It swirled into a black mist that wrapped into the storm.

“Sora, stop!”

He couldn’t stop. Not when Xehanort was still there, staring at him with that smug look, like he had already won, like Sora was already his…

_ “Sora,” _ a calmer voice cut through everything, as if it was in his head.  _ “Why are you using the darkness?” _

The boy shook his head, finally coming to his senses. He lowered his hand and the spell dissipated. There wasn’t a single old man in sight.

Sora was shaking, watching as the darkness from his hands faded back into his skin, locked away once again in his heart. He collapsed to the floor, his legs giving out in exhaustion. He had used too much energy…

“Why…?” Sora whispered as the edges of his vision blurred with tears. “I thought I had won…”

“Hey,” Lea was suddenly leaning over him. “Are you okay?”

 Sora blinked the blurriness away as his energy slowly recovered. “I...don’t know.” He waited for a moment longer then sat up and shook his head.

Lea sat down beside him. He didn’t speak for a minute, choosing to stare at the stars instead. Sora was grateful for Lea’s patience.

“You know…it’s okay if you’re having trouble with the darkness. We all have to face it, sooner or later.” Lea turned to the brunette, giving him a small smile.

Sora scratched his head. “Yeah. I just didn’t think I would have to fight it this way.”

The redhead shrugged. “Life is a mystery. Speaking of which, what kind of spell did you use there? I’ve never seen it before.”

“It’s a strong form of aero I learned during the Mark of Mastery Exam. Though it was a bit different.”

“That much is obvious.” He laughed. “I swear I’m the one always getting left behind, with naturally gifted monsters like you and Roxas…” He trailed off and Sora felt a pang of sadness watching as Lea’s face dropped.

Roxas. His fate hadn’t been the easiest thing for him to accept. Sora knew his Nobody was ready to fade into the background, but he wasn’t. He couldn’t let Roxas go after seeing the blond’s memories and everything he had gone through only to be told he shouldn’t exist. It wasn’t fair and Sora was going to make things right by bringing him back.

_ I’ll save everyone, no matter what. _


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for waiting for the next chapter! I'm sorry it's a bit later than I would have liked but a good story takes time, right? I appreciate any and all feedback and, as always, enjoy!

Riku had been to the Realm of Darkness before with King Mickey. It wasn’t something he was scared of, though if he had been trapped there for years he most likely would have felt fear. Fear that he would never see his friends or his home again. Fear that the darkness would take him over completely, as Ansem once did.

Now he and Mickey walked a barely-visible path into the never-ending darkness. Large boulders surrounded the path, the top of each rounded, cracked open and glowing a strange blue light. It was eerily beautiful in such a wasteland.

“We’re getting close,” Mickey said. He turned to his silver-haired companion. “Aqua and I passed through here before on our way to find a keyblade of darkness to close the door. She must have been sent back out here somewhere…”

Riku hopped on top of a glowing boulder. He narrowed his eyes, searching through the darkness and mist. It was nearly impossible to see, but he thought he could make out a soft glow far ahead.

The teen pointed toward it as he turned to shout down to the King below, “We should head this direction. I can see a little bit of light that way.”

“Light? That  _ has _ to be Aqua!” Mickey jumped up on the rock.

Riku smiled, “Yeah. Lets get her out of here.”

A sudden, chilling wind passed by. Riku shielded his face, the hairs on the back of his neck raising up. Not far in front of the two Masters several black creatures formed in the sky. Riku and Mickey summoned their keyblades and, giving a small nod, leaped in unison to begin another battle.

Riku hardly concentrated on the fight as his mind began to wander.

_ Will Aqua remember me after all this time? _

He flipped to the right as flames hissed by, the fiery heartless having become enraged and charging straight at the teen.

_ I wonder if she will forgive us for not saving her sooner. _

He clenched his teeth and rained a powerful thunder spell on the closest group of heartless, to which Mickey then ran through with his keyblade.

_ I should have done something. _

That thought had passed through Riku’s mind a lot lately. It was a recurring theme with him. He couldn't save Kairi on Destiny Islands, he didn’t defend Sora in the dreamscape, and just recently he finds out Aqua had helped him, only to be swept away by doing so.

_ I did nothing to thank her. _

Riku slammed his keyblade down on the last shadow, perhaps putting too much force into it as it turned the creature into mist and cracked the rock under it.

“You okay, Riku?”

Mickey’s voice cut through his thoughts and the teen slowly relaxed, standing straight. He didn’t answer the question, choosing to continue down the winding path.

“We should hurry and get Aqua out of here. I can only imagine what this place could do to a heart after so much time spent alone.”

“Alright.” The King ran to catch up, falling in step beside the young master.

They walked in silence until the rock underfoot became sand.

“It’ll be okay, Riku.”

The boy stopped, turning to Mickey, who smiled at him knowingly.

“Aqua knew you were in trouble, and I bet she had no regrets saving you from that swarm. Don’t worry, I just know she’ll be happy to see you’ve come so far.”

Riku closed his eyes, shaking his head in defeat. “How do you always know what I’m thinking? You’re as bad as Sora.”

“Gosh, we’ve been travelling together so much, it’s easy to see when you’re worried.” Mickey scratched the back of his head and laughed. “I guess you could say I’ve learned your habits.”

Riku nodded, “You’re right. We have been a team for a while now,” he focused on the arch in front of them, “so let’s finish this together.”

 

They followed the soft glow to a beach, the sound of the waves reminding Riku of home. His eyes slowly widened in realization.

“This is the same beach Sora and I ended up at after fighting Xemnas.”

Mickey stepped up to the water’s edge. “This is as far as we can go, but I feel Aqua’s light somewhere near here.” He clenched a fist over his chest, focusing. “It’s strange. Her connection is growing weaker…”

“We have to find her. We can’t just give up!” Riku protested.

The King cast his gaze down, shoulders slumped. “We can’t reach her. She’s fallen into a deep abyss.”

“Well, I saved Sora from the abyss before, why can’t I do the same for Aqua?”

“Riku...we had a direct link with Sora. We don’t even know where Aqua could be down there. This isn’t as simple as before.”

Riku was about to protest again when the ground shook. It was hard to plant himself when the sand started shifting.

Mickey ran to Riku’s side, keyblade materializing in his hand. He gave a small shout when the ground erupted in front of him, raining sand down on the pair.

Riku couldn’t understand what he was seeing. Were those shadows? Hundreds of them had piled into a tornado-like swarm.

“Riku! Heartless in the Realm of Darkness are a lot stronger than the ones we fought in the Realm of Light!” Mickey called as he ran to meet the swarm. He swiped at the tower, jumping out of the way as more shadows leaped out at him.

Riku summoned his keyblade and charged, beating at the swarm, the demon-tide, and cutting down stray shadows. The swarm spun into the air and charged past Riku. The King let out a startled shout as the tide swept him up, his keyblade falling to the sand.

“Mickey!” Riku called. The swarm spun around and charged once more. Riku rolled and used a spell of dark fire to try to knock his friend loose. The tide turned red and turned, crashing into the young master. Riku flew through the air, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

The teen propped himself up on his arms and watched a black shape jump from the tower of heartless onto the beach. The darkness melted away as it walked to the lone keyblade on the sand. It looked over the blue and gold weapon, the stars on its surface glittering as the rest of the darkness fell away from the figure, revealing a woman with light silver hair, a dark top and a white tunic-like skirt with a blue sash.

The demon tide circled in the air, and Mickey struggled to escape, looking on at the woman in confusion.

“This keyblade,” she spoke softly.

“Wait, is that…?” Mickey was now simply staring at the woman, disbelief written plainly across his face.

She raised her head. “Mickey,” the woman turned sharply, her yellow eyes glaring at the King. “You’re too late.”

“Aqua…” Mickey tried, but no other words followed.

“Aqua?” Riku asked in shock. This woman was Aqua? How could that be?

Mickey struggled against the surrounding darkness. “What happened to you?”

Aqua chuckled humorlessly, “You abandoned me here, that’s what. Left me to rot in this horrible place. Do you know how long I waited here for someone- _ anyone _ -to help me? I lost my keyblade, wandered in hopelessness for forever. I was defenseless, alone, and scared.” She turned and walked over to the water and then on it, small ripples forming with every step as she spoke. “Do you know how lonely I was? You should have known what darkness does to a heart of light.”

“I’m sorry, Aqua,” Mickey frowned, looking down in shame. “I needed to be here earlier to save you. It’s my fault.”

Riku scowled and, hissing in breath, staggered to his feet. He looked to his keyblade, still gripped in his hand, and found he only had half of it. It was broken. Useless.

Aqua paused, “All that’s left in my heart is misery and despair,” she turned around, holding Mickey’s keyblade tight, “and I want you to share it!”

Before he even knew what he was doing, Riku ran right in front of Mickey and used what was left of his weapon to block Aqua’s deadly strike. She swung with such tremendous force it knocked the broken blade out of Riku’s hand and into the sand about twenty feet back. The woman reeled back as well, not expecting to have her blows countered.

Thinking quickly, Riku grabbed the King and pulled sharply with one hand, the other blasting the only spell of light he knew at the mass of heartless, causing their hold to weaken for just a second, enough for the King to escape.

Aqua was seething, darkness seeping from her skin in a terrifying aura.

Mickey summoned a different weapon, it’s golden shaft and silver hilt gleaming. “We’re leaving,” he shouted as he called forth a portal right behind the pair.

 “We can’t just leave her here!” Riku told him.

Mickey gave Riku a sad look, “We have to retreat, but we’ll come back as soon as we can-”

A sharp cackle of laughter interrupted him and Aqua shook her head. “So you’re abandoning me again? Why would I expect anything more from a  _ coward _ ?!”

Reluctantly, Riku and Mickey turned and ran through the portal, closing it right as Aqua fired shots of darkness at them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for being patient with me. I know this chapter has been a long process but I've finally got it out for you. Expect to see the regular update schedule once more.

Sora’s training session did not go the way he had wanted it to. He didn’t think using such a small amount of power would bring out the waves of darkness now consuming his heart. Every hour at the tower just confirmed that Sora was not even close to being a Guardian of Light. He was changing more and more, pulling further away from who he once thought he was. The darkness was consuming him.

Sora sat up, staring at the curtains over the window in his room. A sense of longing clung to him. He wanted to feel normal again, to go out and help everyone the same way he had before.

The brunet closed his eyes, placing a closed fist over his heart like he had always done.

Nothing. He couldn’t feel the warmth he once did thinking about his friends. His connections with those he cared most about were unraveled in an empty space. Severed.

Sora didn’t know when he lost all those ties to his heart. He had never tried to connect to others consciously, it had just happened. His friends were always there with him. Without their strength he was nothing and had nothing.

_ Am I...lonely? _

His thoughts were confirmed when a new wave of sadness crushed him.

_ “Your connections are still there, Sora.” _

The boy’s eyes shot open when a voice shot through his head. He was taken aback as he found himself standing in a now-too-familiar place.

“Ventus?” He called out, turning in a circle as he searched around the platform, the stained glass glowing where he stood on it. He had no idea how he’d been taken there, but diving into his own heart was becoming a common occurrence.

A figure materialized not far in front of Sora. Ventus didn’t make any move to walk toward the confused young wielder, holding his hand up, palm out in a halting motion when Sora started toward him.

“He’s trying to trick you into isolating yourself,” the boy said quietly. “We’ve been fighting back against his heart, but didn’t realize he was going after the hearts connected to yours until the connections were almost destroyed. They’re still there, Sora.”

“What’s going on, Ventus? Why can’t I summon my keyblade?” The brunet’s  arms started to shake as he thought about the hearts fighting for his own. “Why am I sitting on the sidelines while you and Roxas do all the fighting?” Even from a distance Sora could see that Ventus was exhausted, and he refused to stand by as others got hurt to protect him.

Ventus sighed. “I’m trying to help you, but I’m still too weak. I know I need to go back to my body to fully recover but...I just can’t do that knowing what Xehanort will do to you and the others.”

“Others?” Sora echoed. He thought it was just Ventus and Roxas in his heart. How could there be more?

“And what can you do to keep me away, Ventus?” As he spoke Xehanort stepped through a portal of darkness. He stared at his former apprentice across the platform. “Surely you will tell him the cost of keeping you imprisoned here.”

Sora looked at Ventus, eyes wide with concern. “The cost? What’s he talking about?”

Ventus didn’t answer. He summoned his keyblade and glared at the old man. It was obvious it was all for show as his arms and legs trembled from the strain of just standing.

Xehanort shook his head, throwing his arm out and bringing the swirls of darkness at the station’s edge in closer. Ventus shouted in pain as the wisps touched his skin, leaping back and collapsing on the glass.

“Ventus!” Sora ran over, ready to cast a cure spell. He knelt down next to the boy who was currently struggling to sit up.

“Do you see now, Sora?”

The young man ignored Xehanort, instead focusing on helping Ventus get on his feet.

“Young Ventus’s heart is filled with light, and the darkness in your heart is attacking that light. The longer he stays here, the more his heart will suffer.”  

Ventus was sitting up now. He was still pale and shaking, but he would be okay with some rest. Sora stood in front of him. “It’s not my darkness hurting my friends, it’s you Xehanort, and I won’t let you get away with it!”

Xehanort chuckled, “What a dramatic, young fool you are. You have a weapon to defend yourself if only you would wield it. No, you cower behind your friends as they do all the fighting for you.”

“Says the one who lets the organization do his dirty work,” Sora countered.

The man smiled, “Ah, but that is just one more thing we have in common.” He gestured to the black mist around them. “Not all of this darkness is my doing. I simply brought out the side of yourself you refused to accept.”

The brunet clenched his teeth. His hands were itching for a fight. “I am nothing like you!” He reached out, focused his energy. The station’s glow suddenly became bright, forcing the darkness back off the edge.

Xehanort glared at him and sighed, “You still don’t understand what lies right in front of you. Fine.” He clawed his hand and a ball of purple, glowing magic formed in his palm. “I’ll have to force you to accept it!”

Before Sora could react, Xehanort plunged his hand down at the station below. The whole pillar shook and the glass cracked as the dark energy hit it. Pieces started falling away, revealing another picture underneath.

The old man met Sora’s eyes with a look of triumph. “I’ve been searching every world, only to find what I was looking for was right in front of me, defying my every move.”

Ventus let out a strangled cry and slumped down. Sora ran to his side, but the boy was out cold.

“Time is running out, boy. Use your Power of Waking and you just might save him.”

Sora gently cradled Ventus in his lap, hot tears falling down his face as everything faded to black.

“I don’t know how…”

 

Sora woke in Yen Sid’s tower and sat up, staring at the window. His face in the  reflection was tear-stained with dark circles under his eyes. Sora watched as another tear trailed down his cheek before shaking his head.

The boy stood up, walked over to the door, and gently knocked. He wiped his face, putting on a smile when he was greeted by Donald and Goofy.

“Sora! You’re awake!” Goofy cheered.

“About time,” Donald said.

Sora laughed and put his hands behind his head, “Yeah, Riku always said I napped too much.”

“Nah, you’re just real easy-goin’.” Goofy chuckled.

Donald stared pointedly at his tall companion, “Reminds me of someone I know.”

“Donald, you just need to relax more,” Sora teased, poking his friend’s shoulder.

“Wak!  _ I  _ need to relax more?! I’m the one keeping us on mission!”

“Ah, come on, no harm in a little fun.”

“Yeah, what Goofy said.”

“And what’s so fun about napping?”

Sora thought for a moment. What  _ was _ so great about it? He scratched the back of his head, “Umm, I guess just being able to enjoy the moment, take some time for yourself a little.”

Goofy put a hand to his mouth in thought, “I suppose ya could say it’s nice to be lazy after bein’ so busy all the time.”

Donald huffed, crossing his arms. “I practice my magic when I have time.”

Goofy leaned close to Sora, putting a hand up and whispering, “He also spends time with Daisy.”

“Hey, I heard that!”

They laughed as the magician protested, like they always had.

Sora thought back to those lazy afternoons on the beach back home, listening to the waves. He would be there again, one day.

“Sora!”

He turned to see Kairi waving at him from further down the hallway and ran over.

“What is it?”

Kairi looked distraught, her eyes wide with worry. She wrung her hands as Sora stopped in front of her. “Riku and Mickey just got back.”

“That’s great! Did they bring Aqua? How is she?” Sora immediately asked. He had no idea where his concern and excitement over her came from. He didn’t even know Aqua.

Kairi shook her head, “I don’t know a lot, but they didn’t come back with her. Yen Sid called for everyone up in the chamber.”

She hurried over to the stairs, not waiting for a reply. Confused, Sora beckoned Donald and Goofy to follow.

The group ascended, passing through doors that lead to short staircases floating in the air until, finally, they reached the chamber. Kairi knocked before softly pushing the door open.

“Master Yen Sid?”

“Yes, welcome all. I was just trying to get Riku a new keyblade.”

“A new one? His keyblade broke?” Sora asked, barging into the room. He had no idea keyblades could even be broken and replaced.

Yen Sid nodded, Riku and Mickey standing in front of him. They both sighed as he spoke.

Lea was in his normal place by the bookshelf, arms folded, still in his Organization coat. Kairi went to stand by him, whispering something to him that made him straighten up. Sora’s heart hurt looking at her. He wanted to be able to hug her again, without the horrible pain involved.

Riku clenched his fist. “My keyblade snapped right in half. Because I failed to strengthen it, we couldn’t help Aqua.”

Sora’s heart ached and he spoke before thinking, “I’ll do it. I’ll save Aqua.” Every eye in the room focused on him. “...What?”

“Your bravery is commendable, Sora, but you also have a mission of your own. Xehanort took you away during your Mark of Mastery exam, and we have yet to extract his heart from yours.”

The young wielder sighed, gaze cast down at the floor.

“Sora…” Goofy and Donald tried to comfort him, hands flailing about as they couldn’t figure out how to do so.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Riku started. “How did you get away from them? What did they do during those three days?”

Sora’s head snapped up. “Three days? I was gone for that long?”

The group nodded their heads in unison.

“I don’t…” Sora went back through his memories of the exam. “I don’t remember being there that long. I fought against the darkness and woke up on the beach.”

“The beach?” Kairi stepped forward. “You mean, you were home?”

He nodded. “I was standing by the water and my reflection...it scared me. I thought I was still dreaming at first, but Xehanort, the younger version of him, was there and told me everything.”

“Did you have to fight your way out? How did you end up in Twilight Town?” Lea questioned.

Sora shook his head. “I don’t remember.” The lie stung but he couldn’t let anyone know he was practically delivered to his friends. He needed to help Ventus, and he couldn’t do that if his friends suspected something was wrong.

_ They would never trust someone so corrupted by darkness. _ He thought to himself.

“About Aqua,” Sora felt a need to get back on track, “did you get close? Do you know where she might be in the Realm of Darkness?”

Riku and Mickey shared a look. That couldn’t be good.

“We found her. She’s at the beach Sora and I ended up at after defeating Xemnas.”

Mickey hurriedly continued as everyone started to ask questions, “Aqua was there but we couldn’t bring her back because, well...she’s not herself right now.” The king took a deep breath. “She fought us and snapped Riku’s keyblade.”

“But, why would she do that?” Sora’s question was barely a whisper.

Mickey gave his friends a sad expression. “Aqua’s heart was corrupted by darkness.”


End file.
